5 Tips for Staying Organized

I read an article the other day – well, I don’t know if you could call it an article, it was more like one of those click-bait-ey facebook links where the content is only as important as whatever it takes to get you to see all of the ads.  But that’s not the point. Anyway, it was titled “Habits of highly organized people.” As I read it I found myself saying “I do that” over and over, which I guess means I’m highly organized. 

The habits included in that particular article were a little vague though, so I thought I would share some of my organizational habits with you – hopefully they will inspire you to develop a few new habits of your own.

1. Put things away when you are done with them.  It sounds so simple right? But I seriously stick to this one hard core. I have a small house and a small work space so if I don’t put things away I run out of room to work very quickly. I like to actually be able to see my flat surfaces and I swear that clutter is distracting – because all I can think about is what a mess my space is!

2. Make to-do lists! I live by to-do lists, I have two going on my desk right now, and I am constantly updating them. I rewrite my lists every couple of days so that I can eliminate the tasks that have been completed and add new items.  This helps me avoid crazy long, overwhelming lists and it gets all of those thoughts out of my head and onto paper where I can see them.

3. Multiple calendars. I keep multiple calendars so that I can always look up where I’m supposed to be and when. I’ve left my planner at home one too many times, and I hate the feeling of being absolutely lost without it, so I also keep a calendar posted at my desk, and on my refrigerator, as well as a google calendar.  You can read more about them here.

4. Plan ahead. I try to have as much ready as I possibly can the night before.  This can mean having my lunch packed and clothes picked out for work, it can also mean organizing materials as much as possible before a special event.

5. Be flexible. Even with all of my planning and organization, there are times when things do not go how I expected them to. I try really hard to roll with it.  The more stressed out I am, the more stressed and irritated those around me will be.  Most situations are not worth getting worked up over!